A Winter's Tale

With the days getting just a tad longer - interior lights aren't needed now until almost 5:45 pm - my mojo seems to be slowly returning. I had little energy or motivation to do much of anything in January .. oh, except shovel snow, of which there has been much! We had another north country dump earlier in the week; and for one of the first years in memory, we have some serious snow banks. Romping with the dog in her usual three-acre "dog park" is an adventure in deep snow .. we both get twice the workout slogging through it. I'm still debating whether that's a good thing or a bad thing.

One definite good thing about the return of the light is the corresponding return of my need to create .. and I've been spending time in the studio again. I actually had full-spectrum lights installed back when we were making the decision about such things; but they were my choice for their ability to reveal true colors rather than for anything having to do with counteracting Seasonal Affective Disorder. And I'm not sure they really have much affect on that malady, anyway. Though I will admit, the longer I'm down there working, the more I want to stay!

I had been looking for some time for the beads I used in this bracelet .. and back in November found and purchased multiple strands in multiple colors. It was orange for which I had been searching, but snagged olive, emerald, purple, turquoise, peacock and a soft, subtle washed out gray. They remind me a bit of crysophrase or chalcedony. Though not nearly the same value as those beautiful stones, the beads nonetheless seem to be illuminated from within. Real eyecatching.

When I was first learning how to create this piece, I used lava rocks - black, pitted and full of personality - and called it Ancient Civilizations. It was a substantial piece. This time I scaled it down and softened the effect .. I used a lighter gauge wire for the caged beads and as the core in the coiled wire beads. It's much lighter, both in appearance and weight, as a result. I've learned to take notes when doing this sort of piece, so when I want to repeat the design, I don't have to try to remember what length I cut various pieces to make it all work with as little waste as possible. This made it so much easier to begin this time .. I just had to find my notes!